London may be where Marta Marques and Paulo Almeida forged their identity as Marques’Almeida, but last season saw the designers find a new stage (Paris) and point of inspiration (the small towns in Portugal where they grew up). “We can’t avoid that we are South European,” Almeida explained of the traditional Portuguese elements they’ve now brought to their contemporary work. “The connection to family, the longing eventually kicked in.”

“Instinctive” was the word Marques used to describe these familial reflections, which naturally led them away from their personal roots and down the diverse life paths of the M’A girls, who come from all parts of Europe. Their “approachable and relatable” clothes have always been best informed by the eclectic cast of young women that surrounds them. “We’ve tried to make a little family of these girls,” Almeida said. “And intuitively follow that which gives us inspiration,” Marques smoothly finished.

Enter today’s venue: Lycée Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague, a private Jesuit academy in the 16th arrondissement where, as it happens, former intern Laurença d’Orey had gone to school. “Paulo was looking at venues and sending me pictures when I was with Laurença in a showroom, and she went, ‘That’s where I used to have gym class,’” Marques said, gesturing to the stunning sixth-floor rooftop where we stood beneath a cloudless blue sky. Call it a full-circle moment, or a poetic symbol of the Marques’Almeida mission. “As a teenager, obviously, you’re never confident about your body image,” Almeida said. “Now, she’s back in the place where she felt most uncomfortable, but as a model and feeling really empowered.”